Caught in a Storm
Caught in a Storm…
For me, reading a missionary biography is like the time I got caught sleeping outside in a storm.
Laying in my hammock, on a high cliff overlooking the Caribbean sea, I looked up at the clearest of night skies. Breathtaking. The stars, the Milky Way, all filled me with utter wonder and amazement. It was perspective-giving. I prayed, whispering over and over again, "All glory to God, ALL GLORY TO GOD." In that moment I trusted the Creator completely. In those moments of trust and perspective, I had no idea of the danger that was lurking...
The Storm's Arrival
At some point in the darkest moments of the night, after I had drifted off, fast asleep, certainly comfortable and content in my slumber, the strongest and loudest storm arrived with authority and force. A piercing crack of thunder jolted me awake. I jumped out of my hammock and ducked under a nearby straw roof to try to escape the fury of the sky's torrent of rain and the whipping wind. This storm seemed to threaten life itself. I remember thinking, "I've never heard thunder so loud or seen lightning so bright." More than once, I knew I was unsafe, surely this storm was beyond normal.
The Aftermath
And then, as quickly as it started, it rumbled off into the distance, leaving behind a cool, crisp air with a sweet and fresh scent. I didn't know it, and I hadn't expected it, but this storm was needed. This storm was sent by God to provide and sustain. It was exhilarating. It was frightening. It was life-giving. I couldn't not act as if it hadn't happened.
That's exactly what happens to me when I pick up a great missionary biography/story. It's unexpected, perspective-giving, life-altering, not safe, but ultimately life-giving.
Lords of the Earth
It happened again recently as I read "Lords of the Earth: An Incredible but True Story from the Stone-Age Hell of Papua's Jungle" by Don Richardson. Stan Dale, at the moment of salvation, thought, "'Here was a call, not to a test of mere physical strength or cunning but of willingness to surrender oneself to what was evidently the ultimately moral ideal of the universe—the glory of God!'" Ultimately answering that call would lead him to total self-surrender and denial, leading him to give his entire life to reaching the Yali tribe in Papua New Guinea. I won't give away the story, but I promise it's a worthy read. Don't read it, though, if you aren't willing to be stirred and shaken.
Book Recommendations...
Here are my top 4 recommended missionary stories:
Lords of the Earth - by Don Richardson
Peace Child - by Don Richardson
And the Word Came With Power - Joanne Shetler
Out of the Jaws of the Lion - Homer Dowdy
Here's the next one on my reading list... Who wants to read with me?
Bruchko - Bruce Olson
Pastor Rob
For me, reading a missionary biography is like the time I got caught sleeping outside in a storm.
Laying in my hammock, on a high cliff overlooking the Caribbean sea, I looked up at the clearest of night skies. Breathtaking. The stars, the Milky Way, all filled me with utter wonder and amazement. It was perspective-giving. I prayed, whispering over and over again, "All glory to God, ALL GLORY TO GOD." In that moment I trusted the Creator completely. In those moments of trust and perspective, I had no idea of the danger that was lurking...
The Storm's Arrival
At some point in the darkest moments of the night, after I had drifted off, fast asleep, certainly comfortable and content in my slumber, the strongest and loudest storm arrived with authority and force. A piercing crack of thunder jolted me awake. I jumped out of my hammock and ducked under a nearby straw roof to try to escape the fury of the sky's torrent of rain and the whipping wind. This storm seemed to threaten life itself. I remember thinking, "I've never heard thunder so loud or seen lightning so bright." More than once, I knew I was unsafe, surely this storm was beyond normal.
The Aftermath
And then, as quickly as it started, it rumbled off into the distance, leaving behind a cool, crisp air with a sweet and fresh scent. I didn't know it, and I hadn't expected it, but this storm was needed. This storm was sent by God to provide and sustain. It was exhilarating. It was frightening. It was life-giving. I couldn't not act as if it hadn't happened.
That's exactly what happens to me when I pick up a great missionary biography/story. It's unexpected, perspective-giving, life-altering, not safe, but ultimately life-giving.
Lords of the Earth
It happened again recently as I read "Lords of the Earth: An Incredible but True Story from the Stone-Age Hell of Papua's Jungle" by Don Richardson. Stan Dale, at the moment of salvation, thought, "'Here was a call, not to a test of mere physical strength or cunning but of willingness to surrender oneself to what was evidently the ultimately moral ideal of the universe—the glory of God!'" Ultimately answering that call would lead him to total self-surrender and denial, leading him to give his entire life to reaching the Yali tribe in Papua New Guinea. I won't give away the story, but I promise it's a worthy read. Don't read it, though, if you aren't willing to be stirred and shaken.
Book Recommendations...
Here are my top 4 recommended missionary stories:
Lords of the Earth - by Don Richardson
Peace Child - by Don Richardson
And the Word Came With Power - Joanne Shetler
Out of the Jaws of the Lion - Homer Dowdy
Here's the next one on my reading list... Who wants to read with me?
Bruchko - Bruce Olson
Pastor Rob
Recent
Archive
2024
March
May
August
2023
January
June
2022
August
September